Contaminated meat in Mexico led to traces of the banned drug clenbuterol being found in urine samples given by more than 100 players involved in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in June, the world governing body’s medical chief has revealed. Of the 24 squads involved, 19 – possibly including England’s youth team – had several players showing the presence of clenbuterol but at concentrations lower than the prohibited level.

Positive tests for five players from the senior Mexico squad had alerted FIFA to a possible issue, and when four more positive tests emerged from the youth tournament the governing body decided to reanalyse all the 208 urine samples taken.

A laboratory in Cologne discovered the presence of the steroid in 109 of those samples – 52.4% – but most in concentrations lower than the banned level so they had not been reported. Clenbuterol is banned in farming in most countries but is used to speed up growth and increase muscle mass in cattle…

The Mexican government have made a number of arrests and closed down several slaughterhouses in recent weeks after being alerted to the issue, according to Mikel Arriola, an official from Mexico’s health ministry.

Mexico’s victorious under-17 team did not have a single adverse finding; after the positive tests for the senior players they were only allowed to eat fish and vegetables.

If they ever tested for non-performance enhancing drugs like antibiotics (such as what’s in penicillin) you’d probably never eat meat again.

Personally, I like steroids in my meat. They go well with my daily dose of “damn-it-all.” And while you’re at it give me a shot of some cox-2-inhibitors (sp?) along with a mild overdose of vitamins like the very dangerous A too. Mmm, drugs! It’s not just for athletes.

But seriously, Mexico isn’t the only country with food problems. If you think the FDA or even the USDA is looking out for anyone’s food safety then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell you.

Big Food USA generally has it in for imported produce from Mexico and elsewhere, and wouldn’t go past paying for this kind of “news”. The allowed levels of steroid in athletes blood is incredibly small, compared to any medically determined unsafe level in food for public consumption.

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